FBI cites increase in number of scams targeting seniors

The FBI on Tuesday reported an increase in the number of scam complaints from seniors in 2023. This was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in money stolen by those scammers. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received roughly 14 percent more complaints from individuals over 60 in 2023. The scammers involved in those incidents lifted $3.4 billion from seniors over the same time period—an 11 percent increase from 2022.

What are the exact numbers on this? The ICCC received more than 100,000 complaints, and more than 5,000 of those complaints involved losses of $100,000 or more. The average monetary loss across all incidents was nearly $34,000.

What sorts of scams were most prolific? Tech support scams were by far the most common complaint reported by seniors, according to the FBI. Around $1.2 billion was lost in investment scams. That’s more than double the amount lost in the second most costly type of scam for seniors, the aforementioned tech support scams.

Where did these scams largely take place? In California, Florida, and Texas, individuals over 60 were most often scammed or targeted by scams. North Dakota, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., saw the fewest scams or attempted scams.

Dig deeper: Read Brad Littlejohn’s column in WORLD Opinions about how voters should be on the lookout for election year deepfakes.